Albericci v. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey

55 Misc. 3d 946, 49 N.Y.S.3d 849
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 16, 2017
StatusPublished

This text of 55 Misc. 3d 946 (Albericci v. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Albericci v. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, 55 Misc. 3d 946, 49 N.Y.S.3d 849 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Ben R. Barbato, J.

In this action for personal injuries arising from, inter alia, violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240 (1) and 241 (6), plaintiff moves seeking an order granting him partial summary judgment with respect to liability on his claims premised on Labor Law §§ 240 (1) and 241 (6). Plaintiff claims that he slipped and fell through an opening when its cover failed. Plaintiff alleges that the foregoing accident constitutes a violation of 12 NYCRR 23-1.7 (b) (1) (i) and, therefore, a violation of Labor Law § 241 (6). Defendants oppose plaintiff’s motion, asserting that insofar as plaintiff was provided with a lanyard, and was required to and failed to use it, plaintiff’s conduct was the sole proximate cause of his fall. Based on the foregoing, defendants’ cross-move seeking an order granting them summary judgment and dismissal of plaintiff’s claims pursuant to Labor Law §§ 240 (1) and 241 (6). Defendants also seek summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s claim premised on common-law negligence and [948]*948Labor Law § 200 asserting that plaintiff’s accident arose from the means employed by plaintiff’s employer, over whom defendants exercised neither supervision nor control. Plaintiff opposes defendants’ cross motion only to the extent summary judgment is sought on his claims pursuant to Labor Law §§ 240 (1) and 241 (6). Saliently, plaintiff contends that his failure to use his lanyard was not the sole proximate cause of his accident, and that since it is undisputed that the cover over the opening through which he fell failed, summary judgment in his favor is, therefore, warranted.

For the reasons that follow hereinafter plaintiff’s motion is granted, in part and defendants’ cross motion is denied.

The instant action is for alleged personal injuries arising from, inter alia, alleged violations of the Labor Law. A review of plaintiff’s complaint establishes, in relevant part, the following: On June 26, 2013, while working within premises located at 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY, plaintiff sustained injury. Specifically, plaintiff, an employee of DCM Erectors, fell through an opening which was improperly covered. It is alleged that defendant Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) owned the premises, defendant 1 World Trade Center, LLC (1 WTC) leased the premises, defendant Tishman Construction Corp. was retained by PANYNJ and 1 WTC to perform work at the premises, and defendants retained DCM to perform work. It is further alleged that defendants were negligent in failing to keep the premises reasonably safe and that they violated Labor Law §§ 200, 240 (1) and 241 (6), said negligence causing plaintiff’s accident and the injuries resulting therefrom.

Standard of Review

The proponent of a motion for summary judgment carries the initial burden of tendering sufficient admissible evidence to demonstrate the absence of a material issue of fact as a matter of law (Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320, 324 [1986]; Zuckerman v City of New York, 49 NY2d 557, 562 [1980]). Thus, a defendant seeking summary judgment must establish prima facie entitlement to such relief as a matter of law by affirmatively demonstrating, with evidence, the merits of the claim or defense, and not merely by pointing to gaps in plaintiff’s proof (Mondello v DiStefano, 16 AD3d 637, 638 [2d Dept 2005]; Peskin v New York City Tr. Auth., 304 AD2d 634, 634 [2d Dept 2003]). There is no requirement that the proof be [949]*949submitted by affidavit, but rather that all evidence proffered be in admissible form (Muniz v Bacchus, 282 AD2d 387, 388 [1st Dept 2001], superseded by statute as stated in Ortiz v City of New York, 67 AD3d 21, 25 [1st Dept 2009]). Notably, the court can consider otherwise inadmissible evidence, when the opponent fails to object to its admissibility and instead relies on the same (Niagara Frontier Tr. Metro Sys. v County of Erie, 212 AD2d 1027, 1028 [4th Dept 1995]).

Once movant meets his initial burden on summary judgment, the burden shifts to the opponent who must then produce sufficient evidence, generally also in admissible form, to establish the existence of a triable issue of fact (Zuckerman at 562). It is worth noting, however, that while the movant’s burden to proffer evidence in admissible form is absolute, the opponent’s burden is not. As noted by the Court of Appeals,

“ [t] o obtain summary judgment it is necessary that the movant establish his cause of action or defense ‘sufficiently to warrant the court as a matter of law in directing summary judgment’ in his favor, and he must do so by [the] tender of evidentiary proof in admissible form. On the other hand, to defeat a motion for summary judgment the opposing party must ‘show facts sufficient to require a trial of any issue of fact.’ Normally if the opponent is to succeed in defeating a summary judgment motion, he, too, must make his showing by producing eviden-tiary proof in admissible form. The rule with respect to defeating a motion for summary judgment, however, is more flexible, for the opposing party, as contrasted with the movant, may be permitted to demonstrate acceptable excuse for his failure to meet strict requirement of tender in admissible form. Whether the excuse offered will be acceptable must depend on the circumstances in the particular case” (Friends of Animals v Associated Fur Mfrs., 46 NY2d 1065, 1067-1068 [1979] [citations omitted]).

Accordingly, generally, if the opponent of a motion for summary judgment seeks to have the court consider inadmissible evidence, he must proffer an excuse for failing to submit evidence in inadmissible form (Johnson v Phillips, 261 AD2d 269, 270 [1st Dept 1999]).

Moreover, when deciding a summary judgment motion the role of the court is to make determinations as to the existence [950]*950of bonafide issues of fact and not to delve into or resolve issues of credibility. As the Court stated in Knepka v Tallman (278 AD2d 811, 811 [4th Dept 2000]), “Supreme Court erred in resolving issues of credibility in granting defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. Any inconsistencies between the deposition testimony of plaintiffs and their affidavits submitted in opposition to the motion present . . . issues for trial” (citations omitted; see also Yaziciyan v Blancato, 267 AD2d 152, 152 [1st Dept 1999]; Perez v Bronx Park S. Assoc., 285 AD2d 402, 404 [1st Dept 2001]). Accordingly, the court’s function when determining a motion for summary judgment is issue finding not issue determination (Sillman v Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 3 NY2d 395, 404 [1957]). Lastly, because summary judgment is such a drastic remedy, it should never be granted when there is any doubt as to the existence of a triable issue of fact (Rotuba Extruders v Ceppos, 46 NY2d 223, 231 [1978]). When the existence of an issue of fact is even debatable, summary judgment should be denied (Stone v Goodson, 8 NY2d 8, 12 [1960]).

Plaintiff’s Motion

Labor Law § 240 (1)

Plaintiff’s motion seeking summary judgment on the issue of defendants’ liability on his claim pursuant to Labor Law § 240 (1) is granted. On this record, which demonstrates that the plywood cover over the opening through which plaintiff fell failed, plaintiff establishes a violation of Labor Law § 240 (1) and, thus, entitlement summary judgment.

Labor Law § 240 (1) requires that

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Bluebook (online)
55 Misc. 3d 946, 49 N.Y.S.3d 849, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/albericci-v-port-authority-of-new-york-new-jersey-nysupct-2017.